This work is the beginning of a series of 25 sculptures and high relief wall pieces. My vision is to create an installation, a facade of a temple in a gallery space emphasizing the woods as a sanctuary. Gathering materials from the natural environment is a large part of my studio practice.

Exploring the landscape of my home has led me to collecting materials that are natural and widely available. Tree stumps, vines, branches, bark, moss from the woodland areas. The cob mixture materials of sand from the lake, soil from the local farm and clay from the waterfall ravines of a local state park. The process of combining disregarded forest material with the earthen material of cob is in a sense creating something out of nothing however, each piece gives way to a kind of truth or knowledge of being human.

The forms in this work have a figurative presence that represents the characteristics of the human experience through gesture and scale.

This work was shown at the Buffalo Botanical Gardens in Buffalo, NY from October 14, 2017-November 5, 2017.